Engineering a Safer Healthcare Culture — with Susan Thorn

The newest episode of Mastering Workplace Culture offers a candid, human-centered dialogue with Susan Thorn, a healthcare executive whose leadership style blends clear vision, empathy, and a firm grasp of operational needs.

A former registered nurse, Susan now serves as a senior leader at Community Health System, where she oversees the welfare of over 11,500 employees. Her approach is grounded in a straightforward conviction: Those who are most directly involved in the work possess the most critical understanding.

Susan discusses her experiences, from her early work managing the COVID-19 response to her current leadership role across the system. She explains how a strong organizational culture can provide stability in a field facing burnout, staff shortages, workplace violence, and constant operational demands.

Susan’s stories highlight the realities of culture work in a major trauma hospital, including:
• Clinicians with exceptional patient skills but strained colleague relationships
• Leaders need to rebuild trust by showing up physically on the units
• Hiring for cultural alignment before technical skill
• The “maintenance” required to sustain a healthy culture long‑term
• Coaching leaders who must model respect even on hard days